Carl Icahn

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

0

Shares

Getty Images/Michael Nagle

Icahn is the seminal corporate raider and reportedly part of the original inspiration for Gordon Gekko. After forming a company that focused on risk arbitration, he began seeing opportunities to take control of companies by buying up stocks. He liquidated faltering companies and left their employees out of work. With TWA, he got the rights to sell TWA tickets at a steep discount. People bought his tickets, pushed TWA into the red and forced the company to start layoffs. His net worth is estimated at $10.5 billion.